GoodFriday: On a little pain, honesty, & training to failure

Happy GoodFriday!  

Here’s something I heard, thought, and did this week.

Something I Heard: Not Minding the Pain

In his book Same As Ever, Morgan Housel writes about a truth we often forget: Everything worth pursuing comes with a little pain. The trick is not minding that it hurts.

We live in a world where comfort is sold as the ultimate goal. Quicker results. Easier paths. Hack your way to success. But Housel reminds us that the things that actually matter— building muscle, raising kids, growing a business, staying in a marriage, chasing a dream, are hard. And that’s not a sign something’s wrong; it’s a signal you’re on the right path.

Pain, struggle, and setbacks are built into the process. They’re not obstacles to avoid, but toll booths you pass through on the road to anything meaningful. When you expect difficulty, you stop being surprised by it. You stop resenting it. And instead, you begin to see it as proof that you’re doing something worthwhile.

The lesson is simple but not easy. Don’t aim for the path without pain, aim to become the kind of person who doesn’t mind that it hurts.

Something I Thought: Being Honest With Yourself

Accountability starts with honesty. When you raise your standards to match your desires, you give yourself a real shot at progress. But if you lie to yourself, even in small ways, you’ll always stay stuck exactly where you are.

Honesty is the foundation. Without it, nothing else holds up.

Something I’m Doing: Training to Failure

For years I thought pushing every set to the absolute limit was the only way to grow. But I’ve learned that leaving a few reps in reserve actually lets me train smarter. By holding back just a little, I minimize unnecessary fatigue and keep the quality of my later sets high. The interesting thing is, I’ve been able to accumulate more overall training volume, which is one of the biggest drivers of muscle growth. 

When you push to failure set after set you can accumulate too much fatigue, which can impact subsequent sets. This can then drive down the overall volume you’re doing for the day. Pushing to failure feels good in the moment but when it costs you in the latter part of your workout I don’t really see the utility of using it all the time. 

Failure still has its place, but it’s a tool, not the entire strategy. Sometimes the smarter move is to step back from the edge so you can push harder, longer.

Until next week!

-Cameron Harn